Gilroy, CA – On September 13, around 75 community members rallied together at San Ysidro Park for a victory rally and march to celebrate the court-ordered pause on construction of the nearby ICE facility.

Community Service Organization San José (CSO San José) called the action in collaboration with the San José Coalition Against Trump (SJCAT) after the Santa Clara County Court ruled in favor of a preliminary injunction, pausing the construction of the ICE detention center being built in Gilroy.

The rally was kicked off by chants led by Pan Garcia of CSO San José, later transitioning into a march from San Ysidro Park to the location where the ICE detention center was being built.The energy remained high throughout the march as chants reflecting community members' demands such as “ICE out of Gilroy,” “Chinga la migra” and “Se ve, se siente – el pueblo está presente!”

Once the march arrived at the ICE construction site, the crowd gathered for the program. Ariya Amin with CSO San José stated, “This is a win for us, and this is a small step that we are proud to see in the fight to stop this detention center.”

Amin continued, “This means that construction will need to be at a halt until the court case is complete, and it is hopeful.” Amin went on to explain that Santa Clara County and the attorney general's office had five legal allegations prepared in response to the federal government's initiative to carry out the unlawful construction of the ICE detention center in Gilroy. Out of the five allegations, just one was enough to call for a temporary injunction.

Lyla Salinas, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), stated, “They paused the construction of the detention center; this is a win for the immigrant rights movement here in Gilroy, in San José and nationally!”

Salinas continued, “We have shown that every time we face injustice, that we face oppression as immigrants and Chicanos, that we need to fight back! And when we fight back, we win!”

“It’s not just this, it’s also attacks against students, against workers, every single one of the people’s movements is being attacked by the Trump administration today,” continued Salinas. “Every punch, every fight, everything that is thrown at our people, we have to fight back in force. We have to fight back and show them that we as people have the power!”

After the program ended, people marched back to San Ysidro, chanting in good spirits as they celebrated this people's victory, won through struggle.

#GilroyCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #ICE #DetentionCenter #OppressedNationalities #BayArea

Gilroy, CA – On Sunday, July 19, over 250 community members of all ages and backgrounds gathered at San Ysidro Park to protest the planned ICE facility under construction in Gilroy. The strategic placement of the ICE detention center, located in the southern region of Santa Clara County in Northern California, would allow for an increase in immigration enforcement activity, threatening surrounding communities.

The four-mile march to the detention center construction site began with lively chants demanding “Legalization for all” and “Justice for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, and Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán,” the most recent lives lost at the hands of ICE agents. Two of these most recent martyrs were shot by ICE in cold blood. The community also stood in solidarity with fellow immigrant rights activists by calling for “Hands off Nadia Topete!” and repeated “Shut it down!” just mere feet from the entrance of the ICE site.

Kímberly Cortéz-Solorio, an organizer with the Community Service Organization (CSO) San José, shared that the county of Santa Clara and the state’s attorney general are engaged in legal proceedings against ICE which have temporarily halted the construction. But they reminded the community to “celebrate cautiously,” not let down their guard and to continue to demand a permanent halt.

The second CSO San José speaker, Ariya Amin, called out the hypocrisy of ICE, which labels people as “illegal,” while ICE agents regularly commit illegal atrocities with impunity. From planning the ICE facility in unincorporated Gilroy, to arresting people without warrants, to committing severe and daily human rights violations, ICE's actions have been unlawful. Amin declared that this administration has a duty to obey “the will of [the] people,” and reminded attendees that it is up to el pueblo to ensure that our consent is considered and prioritized.

The crowd also heard from Huy Tran, the executive director of Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network (SIREN). During his speech, Tran asked the community to reflect on how well we hold accountable those in power and to remind them who is actually in charge here: the people. Tran stressed the importance of having difficult conversations, continuing the struggle, and letting others “see the activation” by being civically engaged.

Edwin Salazar from the Community Agency for Resources, Advocacy and Services asked the audience to imagine the implications of this ICE site and its proximity to beloved areas with high-immigrant populations, such as Gilroy and San José. Salazar shared how this country conditions its citizens via capitalism and urged the “community to collectivize” our resources to move forward.

Megan Sweet with Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke about the acceleration of “large-scale invasions by the DHS” and how the brutality of operations we see on national news has already been witnessed in our streets. Sweet shared the cases of Ulises Peña López, who was left disabled after a violent encounter with ICE and ultimately deported, and Guillermo Medina Reyes, who was arrested by federal agents and is currently facing a legal battle.

Representing Working Partnerships USA, Rebeca Armendariz announced that the Santa Clara County Counsel (who had filed a lawsuit against ICE) had won their request for a temporary injunction, putting on pause any construction work for the coming weeks. Despite ICE not being prepared with the paperwork, Armendariz shared, the true threat was the mobilization of the masses.

In early September, the construction of this ICE detention center will resume and Gilroy organizers affirm they will be there to greet it. The struggle they are building will outpace and outlast anything ICE constructs.

#GilroyCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #ICE